Effects of O ion dose on the formation of copper oxide nanoparticles in silica glasses by implantation with high-energy Cu and O ions

Implantation into silica glasses with O and Cu ions and subsequently thermal annealing in vacuum were carried out, and the optical and structural changes were examined as a function of O ion dose by optical absorption and thin film X-ray diffraction measurements. In the Cu implantation alone, Cu nanoparticles were formed in the silica glasses after annealing at 800-1000°C. On the other hand, co-implantation of O and Cu ions suppressed the growth of Cu nanoparticles, and promoted the formation of Cu₂O nanoparticles. Further increase in the O ion dose led to the formation of CuO nanoparticles as well as Cu₂O nanoparticles